Questions from December 2012
Have the Health and Safety anoraks at Audi gone too far? I start my new car in the garage, drive it outside, select 'Park' and apply the handbrake. Now, when I open the driver's door to close the garage,...
We are currently looking for a new car for my wife, she currently has a Nissan Note 1.5 dCi which she is very happy with but she does 24k a year and the the mileage is getting rather high now.
We are...
I have a starting issues with my Saab 9-3. Glow plugs, injectors and ECT valve have been changed, and a new battery fitted, but still fails to start when cold. Once hot, starts OK.
I am looking for reliable used car for £1500. Can you recommend some?
I wrote off my 52-plate petrol Fiesta Zetec in the ice the other day. I need to replace it with a small second hand car. I will be using it for a daily commute (round trip 64 miles). I'd like it to be...
I have a Mazda3 MPS 2009 and the fuel flap says use MIN 98RON but my supplying dealer - SG Petch - said 95 is fine. Forums suggest you'll lose some mpg & power with 95 but I am not too fussed about this,...
I have notching from dead centre to a slight r/h turn, this happens when the car has been stood over night and goes after half a mile of driving.
Any ideas?
My 59-plate Volkswagen Passat was sitting stationery in the drive when a loud bang was heard and alarm went off.
On examining the car it appeared the left back chassis has dropped onto wheel. The car...
My 2003 SL350 has rattling baffles in the fuel tank. Mercedes will not repair FOC even though they lost a court case on this elsewhere in 2012. Can you help ?
I have bought a used 2009 Nissan Qashqai 2.0 petrol CVT automatic car from the Nissan dealer back in mid of June 2012 which also came with Nissan extended warranty for next 12 months as Nissan cared4...
I have seen a new Kia Sportage Ex it's a 2012 model but it was delivered to the company in Jan 2012 it has 6 miles on the clock. it is reduced in price would this be a good buy or would the fact that it...
It's time to have an intelligent discussion about Electric Power-Assisted Steering (EPAS). Its rubbish isn't it? My 2009 Toyota Avensis 1.8Vti Tourer with EPAS is thrown of course in a random fashion by...
12 months ago I purchased a 12-month old Ford Kuga 2.0TDCI 163 SUV. This was a replacement for a LandRover Discovery Td5 auto and in general I am very pleased with the vehicle. It is comfortable, quiet...
I contacted you previously when I was first experiencing high engine oil consumption (Longlife) with my Audi A5, purchased new in July 2010. In the last two years I have had regular interchange with the...
In the user's manual for my 2008 A3 SE TFSI automatic it gives a warning that cruise control should be switched off at the end of every journey. Do you know if this is a safety issue, so that you have...
I own a Hyundai i30 1.4 ES, purchased new in April 2010. It has needed three replacement internal mirrors (a known vibration fault) and in April this year a modified clutch was fitted (also a known fault)....
I thought that you might be interested in an email from a leading Legal Expenses Insurer. Is it any wonder insurance premiums are at the level that they are when insurance brokers like us are being targeted...
Recently you had a question about sun cream removal from car paintwork. With 3 young children I've had a lot of experience with this. At first I tried hot soapy water, T-Cut, clay bars - nothing would...
My husband and I are considering becoming a one-car household. Presently I drive a mostly loved 2007 Honda Civic 1.8 ES i-VTEC 5-door (recognised problems being the i-Shift and rear view). My husband now...
Our Jeep was recently stolen from the drive. It was very old 1995 and not worth more than about £500. My husband has a protected no claims bonus and an excess of £100. We own two other cars a 2007 335i...
I recently refitted my winter tyres but when I came to check the pressures I found that I could not remove the alloy valve dust caps that I fitted last winter. With hindsight I should have realised that...
I am looking to pension off my Renault Kangoo van and would like to replace it with a small used estate because of the ease of loading compared to a hatchback, maybe something around 3 years old. Any suggestions...
I have a 2007 Vauxhall Astra SRi, 1.9 diesel with 88,000 miles. Please could you tell me a reasonable price for a replacement dual mass flywheel and clutch? I've been told it is 7 hours labour for the...
A friend of mine bought a new Renault Clio from Renault Enfield as she had been so pleased with her previous Clio also purchased from Renault Enfield.
Unfortunately, soon after buying the car, she was...
Having suffered an uncomfortable ride for four years, in a BMW 1 Series on 17” runflats, it was time to change. Heeding your advice we now have a new BMW 1 series on 16 inch deeper-profile tyres. Bliss.
Could you expand on your advice that the best tyres should go on the back. I always put mine on the front in the (mistaken?) belief that as the car is front wheel drive that's where you need the best Tyres.
I found a Honda Legend today with one owner and 21k miles at a very reasonable price. Warranty Direct were excellent at providing extended warranty cover (I'll know the true value if and when I need to...
I added my wife's name to my car insurance policy, which was thus reduced by £23 and increased the mileage limit from 6,000pa to 10,000pa. I'm retired, my wife will use the car daily in her job as a home...
I need to run my BMW 330d Convertible right through this coming winter so I decided to fit winter tyres. I chose the BMW approved Goodyear Eagle UG GW3-RSCs on 17-inch rims to replace the original Bridgestone...
My husband today was at Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet. As it was early afternoon the car park was full. With him was his elderly brother in law who needed the toilet. My husband saw parking spaces at...
I recently bought a Peugeot 208, which I must say is perfect for my needs except for the cruise control. Every car I have driven with cruise control keeps to the selected speed both up hills and down....
Oh, to have the courage to buy at auction. They are still a "dark art" for insiders only in my opinion. I ventured to two BCA auctions to have a look at what goes on and they are certainly not customer...
I have just bought a used Nissan X-Trail 2.0 Dci, do you have any recommendation for make and spec of tyre?
At present the front and back pairs are different makes. The best two, which are quite new...
I recently purchased a 2010 Volkswagen Urban Fox 1.3, could you explain why the road fund licence is so high at £170 per year?
I had assumed that being a newish vehicle it would be considerably less...
For the last 30 years or so I have been driving 4x4s, but now managing on a pension and not doing the mileage I used to do I am moving to something smaller and more economical: a Skoda Fabia SE Plus 1.2...
I have a Renault Scenic 1.5 DCI automatic, which is 13 months old and has had no major problems so far. I do however have a nagging concern about the auto' gearbox as it seems reluctant to change down...
I really like the look of the Vauxhall Insignia and have test driven one at my local dealer; however, the salesman has told me about DPFs, which are now fitted to all new diesels. He said with my mileage...
I wonder if it's been noticed that Shell has recently bought virtually all the other petrol stations in the Camberley area. We had an Esso, a Texaco and I think two other brands. They are now all Shell....
My wife has a 10-year old Audi A3 that has covered 60,000 miles. A high proportion of her driving is in town and on shortish runs; now she wants a new car that is the same size, but sits higher on the...
Recently while shopping at the Castlegate Centre in Huddersfield I overstayed what is alleged to have been a maximum parking period. I have received a notice and photograph by post. I can only assume that...
I currently run a 2011 BMW X3. I have just had my first service at 18,000 miles and was told the tyres are down to 3mm, so due for a change shortly. It's currently on Pirelli P7s (non runflat) 225/60 R17...
Unfortunately there is no column like yours in Canada, so I am writing to you. I would like to buy a 2005 or 2006 Aston Martin DB9 convertible. What are the concerns I should look at before buying, and...
Regarding wireless doorbells and car remotes, we have just such a doorbell, with a choice of treble or bass chimes. Ours is set to treble, but from time to time the bass would blast out when no one was...
A few weeks ago a warning light on my six-month old Vauxhall Insignia indicated a low coolant level. In fact the reservoir was almost empty requiring about two litres of water to fill it to the required...
I currently own a 2005 Nissan X-Trail 2.2 dCi Sport, which I have run from new and covered 215,000 miles. I have been very pleased with how it has performed and want to replace it with something similar.
I...
I will be submitting my observation that there are 307,407 vehicles that are totally exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty under the pre-1973 Historic Vehicle Class.
At even the basic VED Rate of £130 for...
On 23 November, I bought a 61-plate (registered Feb 2012) Volkswagen Golf 1.2 TSI 85 S five-door for £9629 from a dealer. The salesman told my wife and I that the car was previously registered to Volkswagen,...
I have a 2011 Ford S Max 163 sport shift Titanium X Sport.
It's a motability vehicle. My question is what is the acceptable millage to expect from a set of tyres?
Mine has done 30K and has just had the...
Finally I got my new Audi Q7 last month (with 19-inch wheels, thank you for your suggestion). It has about 800km on the clock, and still in the running-in period (Audi suggests 1500km to be the break-in...
What was your information about the value or snags with 'protected no claims bonus' additions to car insurance?
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